


Beautiful When You smile, Beautiful When You Die

by HidingBehindMyMask



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Ghosts, Hurt Naruto, i don't know how to tag, just read and find out, slight SasuNaru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-01 20:09:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5219153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HidingBehindMyMask/pseuds/HidingBehindMyMask
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke is just a guy who helps people move on with their lives, nothing special, but when he meets the strange boy who never says a words, it gets kinda special.<br/>(Crappy summary, sorry, but the story is better.) -One Shot</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, just a quick one shot that popped into my head, please enjoy and comment, that makes me smile very much, and makes me happy!!

Sasuke yawned softly as he got out of bed, stretching his arms above his head. His eyes peeled open with some difficulty, the accumulated crust making his eyelids stick together briefly, and turned to the chair in the corner of the room as he caught movement. He was both surprised and not as he took notice of the boy sitting in the seat. While it wasn’t unusual for him to come face to face with someone whenever he woke up, it was unusual to find them waiting patiently instead of blowing at him or screaming in his ear.

 

Sasuke laid still for a minute, taking in the young boy’s appearance. He was slightly short, even from his sitting position Sasuke could tell, probably a bit shorter than himself. His golden hair stood spiked in every which way, and fell in his eyes. He wore a simple blood red shirt, with some navy blue knee-length shorts. He silently took in the strangers’ round blue eyes as they stared straight back at him, and still no words were exchanged. It was odd…by this point they usually started listing off their demands, but this boy simply stared at him with mild curiosity. Sasuke was about to open his mouth and ask him what he wanted when he disappeared. Sasuke blinked in confusion before heading out of his bedroom and to the kitchen to make some breakfast. He readied the coffee machine and started it before leaning back against the counter and crossing his arms. Why had he simply disappeared. It was strange, he hadn’t asked for any help. The raven was used to waking up with one or more strangers by his bedside demanding for him to contact their loved ones. They usually only disappeared when he had finished his ‘job’, made an appointment or yelled at them to come later because he was too busy. That kid was strange. He turned to the machine as it beeped, announcing his coffee ready, and picked up the steaming mug, heading for the table while grabbing the bread, butter, and a knife.

 

\--

 

As 9:30 rolled around Sasuke cleaned up the living room for his awaiting guests, and just as he dropped the last pillow on the couch the doorbell rang. Making his way to the door he peered at the calendar and checked the name of his guests. Mr. and Mrs. Fujitora. He opened the door and inclined his head in a simple greeting before moving aside and letting the couple head through. He closed the door before leading them to the living room and gesturing for them to have a seat. It was only when they had all taken their seats that any of them spoke.

 

“I heard from an acquaintance of mine that you specialized in these…situations. The person we’re looking for is our daughter. She was 19, and it’s been 2 months since we’ve seen her. We’ve assumed the worse and came to you as a sort of, confirmation of sorts, as much as we hate it.”

 

He stayed silent as the man spoke, nodding softly when he was done. He rose and told them to wait, before heading to his office and bringing the necessary tools. He placed them on the coffee table and set them in position. Once he was done he looked up at the somber couple in front of him.

 

“Did you bring what I asked for? It won’t work without it.”

 

They nodded and the woman slid a photograph out of the purse with shaking fingers. He took it delicately and placed it in the center of the table. Sitting back, Sasuke crossed his legs and closed his eyes, picturing the smiling girl in the photograph and calling for her through the black void that was his mind. When he opened his eyes he looked around the room, trying to spot her. It wasn’t difficult, as he saw her right behind her parents and the couch, tears streaming down her face as she stared at their backs. A second later, as if noticing the stare, she lifter her eyes to meet his, whispering hopefully.

 

“You can see me?”

 

He simply nodded and saw her face break into a smile. Catching her parents’ attention, he spoke.

 

“Your daughter is her with us, I’m sorry to say she has, in fact, passed away.”

 

The young lady’s mother burst into tears and her husband wrapped an arm around her, nodding silently as tears slid down his cheeks.

 

“Now I’m guessing you would like to exchange a few words before getting to know where her body is located.”

 

He received three grim nods before he motioned to the girl to sit in the extra couch.

 

“Now I will ask your daughter how she passed, and you can tell her your goodbyes.”

 

He took his time telling her parents how she had died; a hiking accident, she was walking alone when she slipped and hit her head. She lost too much blood and died in the forest. He was slightly relieved to tell them that she had died without real pain. As soon as he had given them clear directions as to where her body could be found they thanked him, paid him, and were on their way, the girl trailing after them invisibly.

 

As soon as the door was closed he turned to the kitchen and let out a gasp as he noticed the same boy as this morning. But before he could really react he had disappeared once more, and Sasuke was left staring at the empty spot, frowning. It might have been his imagination but he was almost sure the boy’s shirt had been a darker red than before. He sighed and made himself a quick lunch, responding to a few emails as he ate. When he was done he checked his watch, sighing when he noticed he has another appointment in a few minutes. He set everything up once more but jumped slightly when a voice came from behind him. No matter how long he had been doing this, nothing made it easier when one of them showed up. He turned around and came face to face with a frowning middle-aged man, obviously angry.

 

“What did you say? I wasn’t listening, sorry.”

 

The man seemed to get angrier, practically yelling his next words.

 

“Make someone find me my body! I don’t want to stay here forever.”

 

He sighed, used to such demands and nodded.

 

“Ok sir, I need you to give me your full name, relatives, family’s or loved ones’ names, and where exactly you died.”

 

He grabbed his clipboard and a pen, staring at the guy, waiting. He seemed to have calmed slightly at the prospect of getting what he wanted, launching into his story about trying to rob a bank – real smart – and got shot as he was escaping, before dying of an infection because of lack of treatment when he hid. Sasuke took note of everything and wrote his mothers’ name and phone number before looking back up at the man.

 

“Alright sir, I’ve written everything down and I will call your mother right away to inform her of the situation. Now, if you don’t mind, come back tomorrow when I have an appointment ready.”

 

The guy seemed ready to argue but thought the better of it and faded slowly, the ever present frown still on his face.

 

With another sigh Sasuke slid his phone out of his pocket and punched in the number on his clipboard. It took five rings for anyone to answer and he spoke calmly.

 

“Hello, yes, sorry to bother you but I have information regarding your missing son and I was wondering when we could arrange an appointment. I’m sorry I really cannot tell you anything over the phone. Yes, Tuesday is fine, I can have you at 13:00. Yes, I will send you all the necessary information to get here, yes, you’re welcome, I will see you on Tuesday.”

 

He hung up and slid the phone back in his pocket, before heading to the door as the doorbell rang once more. Just on time it seems. He opened the door and let the old man through, taking a seat with him. After setting up and searching for his missing daughter ,no-one showed up, and the old man left with hope that his daughter was simply missing but not dead. Cleaning up because he was done for the day he set about making dinner, before settling in front of the tv, putting on the news. He let out a sigh as the car accident victim that he had helped find two days ago appeared on screen, his innocent smiling face in the corner of the screen as the reporter stood in front of the parent’s house, droning on about how the drunk driver had hidden the young mans’ body to avoid the consequences. After flipping through the channels with boredom he switched the tv off and finished cooking and eating. He sighed in boredom once more before letting out a small gasp as mystery boy appeared once more, this time in the chair across the table. They stared at each other for a while, before the blond tilted his hair to the side curiously, his hair fluttering and falling in his eyes again.

 

Sasuke cleared his throat before deciding to speak, since this boy was obviously not going to talk first.

 

“Hey there, what’s your name.”

 

The boy kept staring at him for a while before sitting up and holding his wrist up above the table. Sasuke frowned in confusion before making a sound of protest as mystery boy swiped his slightly sharp nail across his wrist, easily cutting a line and making blood well up and drip onto the table fast. He stood up and quickly fled to the kitchen to get a rag, and when he got back all that was left was ‘Naruto’ written in the small pool of blood, the boy nowhere to be found.

 

So, Naruto huh. At least he had a name for the face now. He quickly cleaned up the blood on the table before rinsing it in the sink. When he was done he headed for his bedroom, changing into pajamas after a shower and brushing his teeth, before sliding into bed. It was a surprisingly quick and easy day today. He was used to more screaming strangers in his home as well as more crazy family members. Sasuke fell asleep easily enough, dreaming of the boy with the bright blue eyes.

\---

When Sasuke awoke once more, it was still dark out, and he groaned tiredly. What the hell had woken him up in the middle of the night? He frowned when he felt a stare on his back and rolled over in bed, ending up with Naruto’s face inches from his, staring into his eyes. He blinked in confusion for a second before letting his eyes flicker around the boy’s face. Again the blond wasn’t smiling or frowning, keeping his face completely and eerily blank.

 

“Hey there Naruto. Can I help you?”

 

Naruto simply kept staring at him, still obviously confused. It occurred to Sasuke then that maybe Naruto wasn’t aware he was dead, or how he ended up in Sasuke’s bed.

 

“Naruto, do you know how you got here?”

 

The boy’s eyes flickered up to his face from where they had been wandering down, before shaking his head. So he didn’t know…Now that’s going to be a tough conversation then. How do you tell a boy that can’t be more than 16 that he was dead? It had to be recent, then. He felt really bad for the kid.

 

He sat up slowly so as to not startle the boy – not that he seemed to care.

 

“Naruto, how old are you?”

 

Again, all he got was a blank stare from the boy before he slipped out of bed, heading for the door. As soon as he got to the doorway he paused and looked over his shoulder at Sasuke, one eyebrow lifting as if to say ‘you coming’? Sasuke scrambled out of bed to follow, pondering how the kid could come off so sassy without even saying a word.

 

As he left the bedroom he looked for Naruto, but frowned when he couldn’t find him in the living room. He moved forwards and headed for the bathroom next, letting out a relieved sigh as he caught sight of the boy’s yellow hair. He stepped into the bathroom but froze suddenly, eyes widening slowly as they took in the boy’s body. He was facing the wall, back facing Sasuke, and his red shirt was a much darker shade than before, but it was also barely covering Naruto’s skeletal frame, skin taut and stretched over bones, long gashes marred said skin. Sasuke could only stare at the nightmare that was the boy’s body, and his eyes shifted higher, towards his face, as he slowly turned around. The raven could barely hold in his pained gasp as the boy stared back at him. The boy stood before him, his torso even worse than his back, with a large and deep red gash at his throat. One eye stared back at him, the other missing and leaving in its place an empty socket, dark patches of purple bruises covered almost the entirety of his face, but the worst was his mouth. Sasuke had taken note of the fact that the boy never smiled, but this time he could see it. It wasn’t natural though, deep red dripping lines curved from the corners of Naruto’s lips all the way to his cheekbones, letting Sasuke see the teeth behind where the skin should be closed.

It gave the boy a grotesque, but huge, smile that Sasuke could barely stand to see. Naruto tilted his head to the side in curiosity, obviously confused at Sasuke’s rigid posture as well as the way his eyes showed both horror and fear. Before he could even do anything, he had disappeared once more.

 

The older man stood frozen and breathing heavily for another minute before he was scrambling to the toilet and retching into the bowl. What did he just see? Why had he seen the boy in such a state? People had told him that when they came to him from help the ghosts stayed in their top form, the way they were before they had died, so how come the boy had ended up that way in front of him?

 

When he had calmed himself and his stomach had settled, he stood up and made his way to the sink, looking up at the mirror and jumping slightly as noticed the blood. He rushed to the toilet once more as he retched. 15. Naruto was 15 when this happened. Who does something like that to a 15-year-old boy? He rinsed his mouth and cleaned up the blood on the mirror, before making his way to the living room. He laid down on the couch, staring at the ceiling, still feeling sick. He closed his eyes, feeling really tired suddenly, even though he had woken up only a half hour ago.

\---

When Sasuke woke up once more, he groaned in time with his stomach. He got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen, cursing as he noticed the time. How had he slept until 1? He shrugged and made himself lunch, before sitting at the dining table and eating. He was almost expecting Naruto to pop up from nowhere, but the seat stayed empty throughout his meal. He washed the dishes and groaned when he realized he was missing enough food for diner later. He honestly dreaded heading to the supermarket, what with Sakura working there. It’s not that he disliked her, she just irritated him so easily. With a resigned sigh, he grabbed his wallet, keys and phone before making his way outside.

 

He cursed loudly again when Naruto appeared on the other side of the elevator as the doors closed. He stared hard at the boy, relieved that he seemed to be in a better state than before. He seemed to be in a sort of middle ground; he wasn’t completely devoid of wounds, but they were still less visible. His face was only bruised; no sign of the horrid lacerations he had seen before. He turned to the boy, waiting for some sort of reaction. Why was the boy always showing up here if he never said anything?

 

“What are you here for Naruto?”

 

He seemed confused at the question, head tilting to the side once more, thinking. He looked back up at Sasuke after a while, shrugging his shoulders before disappearing as the doors opened. That boy really was weird… He decided to go see his brother to ask some questions regarding the boy, because he wanted to help him, but he can’t do anything without knowing what the hell was wrong with him.

 

He hummed softly as he made his way around the car park, climbing into his car and starting it up, driving out of the parking and heading out to his brother’s house. He jumped less this time when Naruto appeared in the passenger seat of his car, he was starting to get used to it. He glanced at the young boy out of the corner of his eye, sighing as Naruto stared back at him. He focused on driving and pulled up to his brother’s apartment, huffing as he got out of the car and Naruto was nowhere to be seen again.

 

He took the elevator to the right floor before knocking on the door. He waited a minute before he heard some shuffling on the other side and his brother opened the door, staring down at him.

 

“Hey Itachi, I need your help with something.”

 

He simply nodded and let Sasuke brush past him towards the living room. The younger raven took the armchair while Itachi sat back into the large couch.

 

“To what do I owe the pleasure of having my little brother visit me?”

 

“Work, I’m having problems with a visitor.”

 

Itachi stared at him for a minute before nodding at him to continue.

 

“There’s this boy, Naruto, that’s shown up at my apartment yesterday. He doesn’t talk, so I barely get answers from him, but I know that he’s 15. Thing is, he hasn’t asked me about contacting his parents or told me where his body is. Also, I once walked in on him and he was in such a horrific state, like he had cuts all over his body, and he was missing an eye. The worst, though, was his mouth; I don’t know who did it but someone cut his face up really bad, like from the corner of his mouth to his cheekbones!”

 

Itachi’s eyes had widened slightly at the description, the only sign that he was affected by what was being said.

 

“I admit, that’s probably the worst state of ghost I’ve ever heard someone come across. Ghosts usually always show up to people in their best state, at the peak of their health for example. It really is weird that he showed himself in such a bad shape. “

 

Sasuke frowned at his brothers’ words.

 

“Do you have any idea why it happened then?”

 

"Honestly, there really is only one explanation I can find. But it’s both a good thing and a bad one. And it might not even be true.”

 

Sasuke motioned for him to go on, getting impatient.

 

“He might still be alive.”

 

The raven froze at the words, eyes snapping up at his brother in disbelief.

 

“What do you mean he could still be alive? Ghosts are representations of people who are dead and can’t leave to the next ‘world’ or whatever, so how could he still be alive and a ghost?”

 

“He might, and I do stress it when I say might, be half dead. Barely hanging on and so close to the brink of death that he’s already started to leave his body. Tell me, does he show up for long periods of time?” At the shake if his head he went on. “That would explain it. He can’t show up for long because he has to continuously get back to his body. And as for how come he showed up in such a pitiful state, it might be because of the incomplete passing, making him weak and unable to keep up the façade ghosts put up when being seen. Because that’s all it really is, a façade.”

 

Sasuke sat back in the armchair, sighing loudly and trying to wrap his head around the amount of information he had taken in. He nodded after a minute, standing back up. After a quick goodbye and thank you to his brother, Sasuke made his way out and towards the supermarket. He stepped out of his car and walked in, grabbing a shopping basket and roaming the isles for the necessary products he needed. He caught sight of Naruto more than once, but weirdly enough the young boy kept his distance. At the checkout, he was relieved to find that Sakura had a day off, and wasn’t there to bother him.

 

After packing the groceries up and stuffing them in the trunk, Sasuke headed home, unloading the stuff into his fridge and cabinets. Sighing briefly, he headed for the bathroom, deciding on taking a shower. As he washed his hair he thought back to what Itachi had said. So Naruto was still alive. If he could convince the boy to try and describe his surroundings he could possibly get some help and find him before it was too late. He wondered curiously how long Naruto had been missing, considering no-one had come to him or his brother for help, it could mean he hadn’t been missing for long. But when he thought back to the wounds he had seen littering Naruto’s body, he couldn’t help but notice how old some of them had seemed. He wasn’t an expert but he would say some of them had looked at least a week old, already healing and scarring slowly.

 

Sasuke rinsed himself quickly and stepped out of the shower, almost slipping as he noticed something written in the steamed up mirror. He bit his lip for a second, reading the seemingly innocent question, dreading to give the answer. He stepped up and wrote the answer beneath it, before heading to bed.

 

\---

 

Naruto blinked and found himself standing in the older man’s bathroom once more, staring at the mirror, trembling as he read what was written, before feeling himself be pulled back into his body.

 

‘So I’m dying?’

 

‘Yes’

 

\---

 

The next day Sasuke had woken up a bit later, postponing his appointments to a later date, intent on finding out more about Naruto, more importantly where he was being kept. He didn’t have to wait long before Naruto appeared in front of him once more. He motioned for the kitchen and both boys sat down, staring at each other.

 

“So Naruto, I know this is hard, but I need you to try and tell me anything you can remember, that can give me an indication as to where you are.”

 

Naruto stared at him for second, nodding, before disappearing. Sasuke waited patiently for him to return, busying himself by cooking some lunch for later. He walked over to the table when he caught sight of the boy, and winced when he cut his wrist once more, dripping blood on the table.

 

“Is there any other way for us to communicate?”

 

He sighed softly at the head shake he got, focusing instead on what Naruto was writing.

 

‘It’s dark, I think I’m blindfolded. But I remember that I saw some stuff before, so I don’t think I’m always blindfolded. I will give you updates when I can.’

 

And by the time Sasuke had finished reading Naruto was gone. Sasuke sighed and shook his head. This was going to be pretty hard.

\---

The raven sighed as he heard the phone ring, slipping it out of his pocket and answering, sighing once more as he heard the person on the other end talk.

 

“Hello, I heard you could help find missing bodies?”

 

Sasuke was about to tell the lady that he had put all that stuff on hold for the past week when her next words made her pause.

 

"I'm sorry can you repeat that please?"

 

"Naruto. My son's name is Naruto Uzumaki and he's been missing for over 2 months."

 

Sasuke shut his eyes and inhaled sharply. He couldn't turn them away, but at the same time he wasn't sure how to explain that their son was dying out there somewhere. He had been trying to get answers out of the blond, anything that could be useful, but Naruto was blindfolded most of the time, and he was appearing less and less often. All Sasuke could find out was that he was in a basement somewhere. But Naruto seemed to say that it wasn't in someone's house, more like an industrial one judging by the size. Although it was progress it still wasn't much to go on.

 

"Yes, I can help you check if your son is...deceased."

 

He could hear a hitch in the woman's voice and he could tell she didn't truly want to believe her son was dead, but didn't have any other option.

 

"I'm free today, so if you want to come by at 3 I'll be available."

 

After giving her the address and saying goodbye, the raven sighed loudly, rubbing his temple. He headed for the kitchen and barely even reacted at the sight of the younger boy sitting on his counter, legs swinging. He leaned back against another counter, facing the blond and cleared his throat.

 

"Your mother just called."

 

Naruto's eyes visibly widened and he stared intently at Sasuke, unsure how to react.

 

"She asked for an appointment and I said yes."

 

Suddenly, Naruto looked mad, obviously not agreeing with Sasuke's decision. It was the first time Sasuke had seen him anything but emotionless; his eyebrows were drawn together harshly, eyes hard, lips pressed together tightly.

Sasuke simply shrugged in response to Naruto's glare.

 

"I couldn't really refuse her, I mean I know where you are, I'd feel terrible if I left her hopeless while I knew something."

 

Now the blond looked conflicted, visibly angry still, but also understanding. He grunted softly before slipping off the counter and making his way to the couch, still frowning.

Sasuke made to follow but lurched back when Naruto's appearance changed. Instead of a healthy boy, now stood a horrifyingly tortured boy. Naruto had frozen as soon as he'd changed, panting. Obviously he was getting weaker, considering his ghost was having trouble.

The raven hurried to the boy's side, unsure what to do. He grimaced as he took in Naruto's injuries, noticing that they had gotten worse since the last time it happened.

 

As usual, before Sasuke could do anything, not that there was anything he could really do anyways, Naruto had disappeared.

The raven let out a loud, frustrated groan, and headed to the bedroom for a nap. This was seriously taking a toll on him; he was getting more a more tired, as well as stressed as he tried to figure out where the hell Naruto was being kept.

 

\---

 

Sasuke opened the front door a few hours later and let the couple walk in, getting both of them comfortable on the couch. They started with introductions, the lady presenting herself as Kushina Uzumaki, and her husband as Minato Namekaze. Their son, Naruto Uzumaki Namekaze - he didn't like choosing only one of his parents’ names - was a 14-year-old boy that had disappeared over 2 months ago, on September 1st, while walking home from a friends' house. Said friend confirmed that he had left the house at 3 in the afternoon, but by 5 he still hadn't shown up home, and he's been missing ever since. They both had held onto the hope that their son was still alive somewhere, but they were getting desperate and had come to him for help.

Sasuke got everything ready on the coffee table, before asking for the boy's picture. As he took it he couldn't help but be taken aback by the huge difference between the Naruto he knew and the one in the picture. The younger Naruto was grinning impossibly wide at the camera, both hands curled into peace signs in front of him. The raven quickly shook himself out of his small stupor and placed the picture on the table, before closing his eyes an calling out for Naruto.

He wasn't really expecting Naruto to be beside the couch when he opened his eyes, but there he was, still as a picture, staring straight at Sasuke, practically daring him to tell them he was dying. As he opened his mouth to talk to the parents he saw the slight shake of the head addressed to him and he sighed, nodding.

 

"I... can’t seem to find your son. I guess he hasn’t...passed away yet."

 

Wording was always a tricky part of the job.

 

Naruto's parents both gasped and tightened their hands around each other, visibly relieved. They both stood up and thanked Sasuke repeatedly, smiling wide at him, and he could only attempt to smile back, thinking it probably came out more like a grimace.

 

He bid them goodbye and good luck on finding their son, feeling guilty as hell.

 

He sighed probably for the millionth time in the past week as he shut the door and walked back to the kitchen.

 

He poured himself some water, sipping it quietly as he thought about Naruto, thought about how anyone could possibly hurt such a happy kid, thought about how broken and in pieces he is. Life was unfair, Sasuke had learned that early in life, with losing his parents and finding dead bodies for a living, but nothing had been as unfair as this so far.

 

The human race could be truly terrifying sometimes.

 

And with that thought in mind he placed his glass on the counter and made his way to bed.

 

\---

 

It was 2 days later that everything went to shit. Sasuke was woken by the sound of a vase breaking. He sat up abruptly in bed, cursing as he spotted the remains of said vase on the floor next to the scattered flowers, as well as the water splattered of the wall. Well someone had obviously thrown it, but why… If Sasuke had been more awake he most likely would have looked around the room faster, and would have noticed the big letters engraved in the other wall of his room.

When he did notice, though he cursed and threw a sweater and shoes on as fast as possible, grabbing his apartment and car keys, rushing out the door and leaving behind the ‘COME FIND ME IN THE PARKING RIGHT NOW! PLEASE!’ on his wall.

\---

Sasuke probably tripped at least 5 times on his way down to the parking, finding a tired looking Naruto already in his car, breathing slightly labored. He hurried into the car and started it up, peeling out of the parking as fast as possible, eyes constantly flickering from the road to Narutos’ finger, which was pointing to different directions as he drove. In the back of his mind, Sasuke knew what was happening, why it was possible for Naruto to know where to go. More than once, Sasuke had to pull over, because Naruto suddenly wasn’t sure where to go. The raven took relief in the hesitation because it meant that Naruto was slowly dying, and as horrible as that sounded, at least he wasn’t close enough to death to know exactly where he was.

When Naruto’s directions finally got them somewhere, Sasuke had parked his car in front of an abandoned looking warehouse, which, honestly, was a bit cliché. But he didn’t dwell on it, instead sprinting to the front doors and pulling with all his might. He might be a bit skinny but he wasn’t lacking in the muscle department, and so the doors gave away easily enough. He ran through the warehouse, frowning worriedly when he couldn’t catch sight of the blond boy, but finally found some stairs and hurried down them, hoping for them to lead him to the basement and to Naruto.

He stopped abruptly though, when he came face to face with a metal door at the bottom of the stairs. He rushed to the door, looking through the small window at the top, and gasped as he caught sight of the broken form of Naruto’s body, with his ghost crouching next to it. He cursed and looked down at the lock, before frantically looking around for something to break the lock or just force his way in. He cursed once more and shouted to the boy inside as he ran back upstairs.

“Don’t you die Naruto, you hear me? I finally found you so you are not dying! I already called the ambulance in the car remember? They’re on their way and you’re gonna be okay. Naruto – “He stopped and grabbed a crowbar laying on the floor and ran back downstairs, forcing it through the edge of the door and pulling, hoping to pull it off its hinges.

\---

Naruto listened to Sasuke grunt in the effort of pulling on the crowbar, he could hear the door creaking loudly, metal protesting at the abuse. His head whipped from glimpses of Sasuke’s face through the small window, to staring down at his mangled form. He pleaded internally for Sasuke to finally break the door down, tears quickly streaming down his face, face twisted into a grimace. He didn’t want to die, not yet, not like, didn’t want his parents to see his body this way. He still had so much to do, and he was going to do it! He is going to go camping with Kiba, he is going to go to his prom, he’s going to graduate, go off to college,…meet someone…maybe have a few…kids… The blonde couldn’t identify the feeling coursing through his body, until it finally wrapped around his mind. It was official, for sure, inevitable, whichever word you wanna use. Naruto bit his lip and lifted his head, staring straight into Sasuke’s eyes as his tears flowed faster; He is going to die.

\---

Sasuke pulled harder and faster as his gaze caught Naruto's, and for some reason, there was something in his eyes that made him feel the need to hurry up. He pulled again and gasped as he heard the door start giving away, as well as the ambulance sirens in the distance. He looked back up to Naruto and opened his mouth to tell him how close they were but his words died in his throat; Naruto was staring straight at him, smiling for the first time since they had met, face drenched in tears that never stopped flowing. Sasuke was surprised at the sight of the smile, as well as confused, but his eyes widened in realisation when a second later his eyes read the words forming on Naruto's mouth, but never making out of his throat.  
'Thank you'  
His eyes flew open as wide as possible and he was screaming -Nononononono! - as he rammed his shoulder into the door, feeling it finally give away.   
He fell to the floor, scrambling to his feet and sprinting to the boy's side as he kept yelling -Nonono dontgowefinallymadeitNaruto! - But it was too late, as he reached the boy's body, the ghost next to it stood straighter, smiled wider and faded slowly.  
The raven stood in front of him, face wet with tears suddenly, watching the boy close his eyes and smile as widely and as radiantly as possible as he finally faded, and Sasuke had never seen something so beautiful.   
He fell to his knees, next to the broken and bloodied and dead form, one hand reaching to take it's, squeezing tightly and whisper too silent to hear over the pounding footsteps and shouts of the paramedics as they arrived, too late.

"You're welcome."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, i'm just here to finish up this one shot, i know there was a lot of confusion concerning the previous chapter. So, i wrote this next part, which i hope will clear up that confusion, as well as giving you guys a little surprise.
> 
> If there are things still unclear to you please notify me, i would hate for anyone to have questions unanswered.

"I remember walking home after that, when i was finally released from the police station. They kept me for a few hours, for my statement, how the body was found and stuff. You know, the usual. I was used to it, considering it wasn't the first time. You know, I realise now that that was probably the lowest moment of my life. I literally felt like i wanted nothing more than just die. I shook myself out of those thoughts pretty fast; I mean i had to. I have a gift, i can't just give it up, i should keep living, helping others find their loved ones. But it was hard, i have to admit.

Anyways, i have to say that it was rather confusion to me at the time, why i was so depressed after this particular ghost. I mean, i berely knew the boy, we never had a conversation, never talked. There was no way i was this sad because i truy cared for him. It was just impossible. That's what i told myself at the time... Hey, don't look at me like that, you know i'm stubborn, and i thought i was unloved and unable to love then.

I blamed my sorrow on the fact that that he was such a young boy, just turned 15. And spent his birthday with a guy that was torturing him. It was fucking horrifying, what he did to the boy. I sometimes looked back to the photo, you know, that one that his parents brought over when they wanted me to find him. I'd stare at it for seconds, minutes, hours? I can't tell anymore. But i stared at it often, comparing it to the broken boy i had found in my apartment all those years ago. I still feel so guilty that i couldn't save him. Wake up in the middle of the night, gasping and sweating, feeling him just out of reach, just a second too late.

But, anyways. I got better. Slowly, but surely. I spent the first few months after his death in my bed, refusing to take any clients for a long while. It was during those miserable months that i got my head out of my ass and admitted the fact that i had somehow, someway, fallen for the very young and very dead blond boy. Unsurprisingly, it was that realization that made me get better. I started taking clients again, more and more at a time, feeling useless unless i could help them. My job became my sole purpus in life. When i think about it, it already was before him, because i did nothing for myself and all i did was take clients, but at the same time, after him, i started...not enjoying, that's the wrong words, but appreciating my job. I guess that's the best way i can put it. I found that what i did really helped people. I had never really taken the time to notice how much of a gift it really was.

In short, i could see the dead. I could call for them if i had the right items, including a picture of the person missing, or, in rare cases, an object could work too. Usually, when i called for them, if they appeared, it meant that they were dead, that their body had died without being found and they had not way to make it's location known. So when they show up i would ask them for the location of their body and send the parents or loved ones on their way to find the body. Pretty depressing stuff right there.  
When the ghost of the person didn't appear, it usually meant that they were still alive somewhere, but just missing. But, unfortunately it could also have meant that they had died and already passed on, meaning that when htye died they were content with the fact that their body would not be found. Yeah there are people like that.  
Other times, it was the ghosts that came to me. They were ususally really rude. You know, ike screaming in my face, waking me up in the middle of the night and demand i help them. But i can understand i guess. Or at least pretend to understand, considering i've never been in the same situation as them.

So for those that came to me, it was a bit different. I would take down the number of the family member that they wanted to find the body, i would call them up, have them come before breaking the news to them. Do you know how horrible it is to tell someone their son daughter, husband, wife, anyone, was dead, and they i knew where their body was? No, i know you don't, i'm not trying to be mean, just reflecting on the past.

So anyways, that's how it worked. The people i dealt with, the people i found, they usually weren't very young. He was by far the youngest. So innocent. 15...

Now how i was sure the job was done properly was when the body was officially found. Because it isn't as easy as just telling someone where the bdy is for a soul to cross over. You need the body to be in capable hands for him or her to finally be able to be at peace. That's why when i finally got to him, when he was dead, his ghost disappeared before my eyes. Because i had found his body, the police were on their way, there was literally nothing that was holding Naruto back. He was free. So he disappeared, with that smile on his face, that beautiful smile i get to see on you ever day when i wake up."

The raven smiled softly down at the body on top of his, rubbing his hands in golden strands of hair, staring upside down into electrifying blue eyes as Naruto stared up at him. They were both out in their backyard, Sasuke's back resting against a tree as he sat, with the equally beautiful blond between his spread legs, his own back resting against his lover's chest.

The blond had sat, and listened, patient and quiet as Sasuke told him his past, his other lifetime, a parallel universe perhaps. They both didn't have a single clue as to what those memories were. Al Sasuke knew was that these memories had been with him the day he met Naruto.

"They never did find the guy who did it. There was no lead, not a single trace as to where or who he could have been. Or been why."

The younger - Only by a few months this time - felt the raven tense against him, and brought his hand up to cup his cheek, thumb running soothingly across his lover's cheek, calming him slowly. Sasuke looked down again in response and brought his own hand to Naruto's neck, tracing the long scar there. It was Naruto's turn to tense his time and Sasuke murmured to him in comfort.

"Hey, don't worry, i've told you at least a million times. I don't need you to talk, it doesn't matter if i never hear your voice, in the past lifetime, this one, or the next? As long as i have you. You are him, the boy in my memories, yet not quite."

The blonde against him smiled softly this time and nodded, before settling back against the raven, while Sasuke brought both hands back up to card through blond locks.

Both men lay in their backyard, against their tree, soaking up the sun, and held each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There, it is over, i hope you guys are not too disappointed with this end, and that i have answered any and all questions left unanswered. Sorry it's short, but that's all i could really come up with.
> 
> Please please review and i will see you all next time!
> 
> -HidingBehindMyMask


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